Budget Issues Hound ISS

The dilapidated state of the International Space Station (ISS) serves as a sad reminder of shifting priorities amid reports that President Donald Trump's administration is planning to slash NASA funding by 20 percent.

For years, NASA has emphasized budgetary and aging hardware concerns regarding the ISS. Now, during a public meeting of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) last 17 April, NASA officials said they were "deeply concerned" about the diminishing safety of the orbital station.

The panel cited long-standing issues – cracks and air leaks – as well as funding shortfalls. They called for more funding to facilitate the end of the ISS's operations and avert a potentially catastrophic unplanned deorbit.

During the ASAP meeting, members of the NASA safety panel emphasized the growing risks facing ISS operations.

Cracks aboard the space station have been a long-running concern. Over the years, air leaks have also hindered operations – the source of one of those leaks was pinpointed thanks to floating tea leaves.

At the time of writing, NASA aims to deorbit the ISS by 2030. The space agency has contracted SpaceX to develop US Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) to safely remove the ISS from orbit within that timeframe.

However, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk may throw a spanner in the works. He recently recommended NASA deorbit the station sooner. Following a public spat with a former ISS commander, he claimed the station had "served its purpose".

Conversely, when it comes to Trump's NASA budget cuts, Musk recently stated he can't get involved because of a conflict of interest.